Improved wooden pavement



nailed or otherwise fastened down.

; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO JOHN W. BROCKLEBANK AND CHARLES TRAINER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED WOODEN PAVEMENT.

Speccatoa forming part of Letters Patent No. 85,786, datedJamzm'y 12, 1869.

To Vall 'whom tt may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN W. BEocKLE- BANK and CHARLES TRAINER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a loew and Improved Wood Pavement; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in theart to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

This invention vrelates to improvements in wood pavements, and consists in an improved i arrangement of the same, whereby the flooring 'to strengthen the layer A of boards, and to take a portion ofthe vertical pressure on the blocks C, while at thesame time they servev the purpose of firmly securing the blocks to the door. Y

According to one plan for preventing the blocks C from working upward, we arrange the dovetail rabbets on one side of the vertical blocks, as represented at a, the other side being straight, and resting against the straight side of the strip B, and we bevel the edge of the strip B to t into the said dovetailed rabbet, whereby the blocks are irmly secured to the floor when the said strip B is All the rows of blocks may be so'rabbeted on one side and secured by strips B, having one vertical edge and one beveled to suit the rabbets; or the said blocks may be rabbeted on both sides and the strips fitted thereto; or, again, two rows of blocks may be rabbeted on two sides fronting each other, and a strip, B',y

placed as represented, whileA the said rows may be plain on their sides adjacent to the nextrows each way, which are also plain,

and every alternate space filled by a plain strip.

According to another plan, we proposeto rabbet the lower ends, either lon one or both sides, the said rabbets having vertical sides, and lit therein strips with vertical sides, as represented at D and D', to which the blocks may be nailed by nails driven diagonally.

We are aware that strips and short blocks have been interposed between the long blocks D C to till up the spaces, and onto which the gravel and other substances have been packed but this arrangement we have found to be very imperfect, as the blocks are seldom of uniform. thickness, which causes irregularity and looseness in packing them moreover, the said short blocks, being set endwise, afford no means for securing the long ones by nailingto the floor A and to them. And when the strips are used, the comlnon practice is to nail them diagonally to the'sides of the blocks. These strips frequently fail of being brought down close to the bottom layer of the ioor,. owing to the curvature of the bed of the street, and consequently, when the lling is rammed down the nails are broken, and the strips separated from the blocks.

By our arrangement the ends of the blocks are brought to an exact and uniform thickness by rabbeting,whereby they may be packed 4tightly together, and the blocks also rest partly on the cross-strips.

Another and important advantage of our arrangement is, that the pressure ofthe block upon the part A of the looring is greatlyequalized by the introduction ot' the strips into the rabbets in the blocks, so that in case of any soft place under the flooring the blocks immediately above it will not settle down so abruptly; their weight and that of the load they have to sustain being suspended over a greater surface by the said arrangement of the blocks and strips.

It will be understood that the spaces between the blocks and labove the strips are to vbe filled with tar, gravel, cement, and other substances in the usual manner.

WVe claim as new, and deslre to secure by Letters Patent- The combination of the bed A, transverse signed by us this 14th day of December, strips and vertical blocks, when the latter 1868. are rabbeted either ou one or both sides, and 1 either with the dovetail rabbets or other- T'RBAIILEBANK' wise, and the said strips itted to the rabbets and secured to the part A, all substantially Witnesses: as and for the purpose specified. FRANK BLOCKLEY,

The above specification of our invention E. GREENE COLLINS. 

